An account of the subterranean (hypogean) fishes with a bibliography from 1436.

Luciogobius pallidus

The fishes comprising this species were first described and figured by Tomiyama (1936:52, Fig. 10d) but were included therein as members of the polymorphic subspecies Luciogobius guttatus guttatus Gill, 1859.

Country

Japan

Types

Regan (1940) based his description primarily on a single figured specimen (Tomiyama 1936 Fig. 10D). Tomiyama, however, had three specimens, 35mm ‑ 65mm in length, and these should be considered the syntype series for the species (P. K. Tubbs ICZN, pers. comm. 18 May 1988). The location of these specimens (if still extant) is probably the Science Faculty Museum, Zoological Institute, Tokyo University. Eschmeyer (1998) reports that their whereabouts is not known.

Distribution

It is not possible to determine the type locality. Tomiyama (1936:52) states: "Three specimens.....from artesian well; Gobo, Hidaka‑gun, Wakayama‑ken [Wakayama Prefecture, Honshu Island]; Misaki‑mura, Hata‑gun, Koti‑ken [Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku Island]; Uwazima, Simane‑ken [Shimane Prefecture, Honshu Island]". The species has been recorded from Mie, Wakayama, and Yamaguchi Prefectures, Honshu Island; Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku Island; Ehime Prefecture and Kumamoto Prefecture (Akihito 1984) (33o-35oN, 130o-140oE). Also supposedly now found in Korea (Kim 2012) though this is many km from the known the known distribution.

Habitat

According to Akihito (1984) this species inhabits underground waters near the sea. Presumably Tomiyama’s specimens originated from a similar habitat and were removed from it via the well. It is possible that this species (and L. albus) inhabit crevices under stones, or mud burrows in a similar manner to Typhlogobius californiensis (Thines 1969:194-196). Further details are required.

Systematics

Kuang et al. (2018) used molecular markers to study the internal structure of the Suborder Gobioidei which contains within it eleven Families. They demonstrated that Milyeringidae is sister Family to a group of four Families: Oxudercidae+Gobiidae+Butidae+ Eleotridae and is only distantly related to four others: Odontobutidae, Rhyacichthyidae, Apogonidae and Kurtidae (samples from Thalasseleotridae and Trichonotidae were not availabe for analysis).

(World Conservation Monitoring Centre. 1996. Luciogobius pallidus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1996: http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T12404A3340896.en. Downloaded on 06 July 2017). Appears to be widely distributed (Akihito, 1984:283). Almost nothing is known about this animal and DD remains the best current assessment.

Museum Holdings

NIBR-P13719, 4 specimens, 31.2mm – 53.6mm SL (Kim 2012). There must be some specimens in the collection of Emperor Akihito of Japan.